Ryan Rapp Takes Limited Non-Pro Title

Ryan Rapp piloted Tuff Julie to the Derby Non-Pro Limited Championship.At just 15 years old, Ryan Rapp is on a roll in the cutting pen. Tonight, he is enjoying his most recent victory – the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Summer Spectacular Derby Limited Non-Pro Championship – as he prepares his mind for tomorrow’s Derby Non-Pro finals.

In the Limited Non-Pro finals, held Friday, Aug. 5, Rapp piloted Tuff Julie to a 222 from the second draw in the eight-horse finals to set the pace. As each horse-and-rider duo that drew after the team chased that high mark, none proved worthy.

“We were second and had good cows picked out. It wasn’t a very big herd, so we knew everything in there,” Rapp said. “I have a lot of faith in this mare. If you’re early in it, you’ve got to try to mark something big. If you’re going to win it, you’ve got to.”

Rapp, the son of Equi-Stat Elite $9 Million Rider Phil and Equi-Stat Elite $4 Million Rider Mary Ann Rapp, arrived in Fort Worth, Texas, from his home in Weatherford, Texas with more than $46,000 in lifetime earnings, according to NCHA records. This win paid $8,533, pushing Rapp well past the $50,000 milestone.

Rapp and Tuff Julie (Woody Be Tuff x Missys Powder x Powder River Playboy), bred by Teresa Wilson, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, and owned by Rapp’s parents, are scheduled to compete in the Derby Non-Pro finals from draw 20 of 21.